OUR SCHOOLS • SOTO ACADEMY
Private school's small size is its strength
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
Rose Ann Nakamoto and Arlene Ohtani know and trust each other so well that when it came time to decide which one would be principal at Soto Academy, they couldn't choose.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
They both wanted to remain in the classroom as teachers, but also felt the tug toward leadership. So they decided to do the job together, as co-principals.
The first-grade class at Soto Academy, like all the others, shares one teacher. The school has just 112 students, which can be a liability for the administration when it comes to competing for students.
The Nu'uanu private elementary school was founded in 1990 by teachers at the former Bingham Tract School. The Soto Mission of Hawai'i, a Zen Buddhist sect, owns Soto Academy, and Bishop Jiho Machida is on the board of directors, but the school is nondenominational and the only guidance the Buddhists have given the principals is to produce good citizens.
"Academics is important, but we also stress character and respect," said Nakamoto, who teaches third grade. "We really want good citizens."
The school encourages creative thinking and promotes self-discipline, organization and independence as well as academics. With only 112 students, everyone gets a chance to know each other, and teachers communicate frequently with parents.
Soto's size and elementary focus can work to its disadvantage in competition with other private schools, many of which offer kindergarten through 12th grade. Much of Soto's student base comes by word-of-mouth and reputation.
"It's really nice when students come back and tell us how much they enjoyed it here and all the things they remember," said Ohtani, who teaches first grade.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Prospective students are interviewed and given a short test in which they typically are asked to draw themselves and identify numbers and letters. Nakamoto or Ohtani also sometimes talk with former teachers of prospective kindergartners or ask to see the report cards of older students. About 70 percent to 80 percent of applicants are accepted.
Rose Ann Nakamoto is co-principal at Soto Academy with Arlene Ohtani. The school was founded in 1990 by teachers from Bingham Tract School who wanted to stay together when that school closed.
"We just want to see if they are able to recognize certain things," Nakamoto said. "We want to see if we can work with them."
What are you most proud of? "The way we work together," Nakamoto said. "We have happy children. We have college students who come back and say how much they liked it here. We have one already who plans to bring their child here."
Best-kept secret? The school itself, which sits off to the side of the Soto temple and resembles a small motel.
Everybody at our schools knows: The teachers. With a staff of eight, and one teacher per grade, students know the teachers well. Teachers also have learned to multi-task, Nakamoto said. "We're counselors, nurses, everything," Ohtani said.
Our biggest challenge: Competition with other private schools. "We're small, so we can get overlooked sometimes," Nakamoto said.
What we need: Children use a small playground in the temple parking lot, and teachers eventually would like to add a gym and pool.
Special events: Parents are invited to two student programs a year, at Christmas and spring.
Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
• • •
• Where: Soto Academy, 1708 Nu'uanu Ave. • Phone: 533-0452 • Co-principals: Rose Ann Nakamoto and Arlene Ohtani, for 11 years. • School colors: Red and black • History: Founded in 1990 by teachers from the closed Bingham Tract School. • Computers: All students attend weekly computer classes. • Enrollment: 112 students, with capacity for 125
At a glance
